The present invention is particularly suitable for an automatic copying machine wherein reproduction of multipage originals documents or sets are made by sequentially making the desired number of copies of a first page in the set, collecting the copies in individual trays or bins, sequentially making the desired number of copies of the second and subsequent pages of the set, and thereafter stapling the sets.
With the continue development of xerographic reproduction apparatus including those capable of operating at higher speeds it has become desirable to automatically process or handle the copies produced from the machine. The desire has been particular felt for obtaining fully collated and finished sets of copies from a collated original set of several pages. Means to provide a simple, relatively inexpensive, and accurate approach to stapling stacked sheets sets in a bin in such printing systems has been a goal in the design, manufacture and use of electrophotographic printers. This need has been particularly recognized in the mid-volume copying applications. The need to provide accurate and inexpensive stapling of stacked sheets sets in a bin has become more acute, as the demand for high quality, relatively inexpensive copies has increased.
Examples of prior automatic on-line collating copier finishers (staplers, stitchers, gluers or other binders) and/or offsetters and their controls are referenced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,363 to Britt et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
A discussion of references that appear pertinent to the present invention follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,529 Patentee: George et al. Issued: Marc. 15, 1983 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,860 Patentee: Stemmle Issued: Dec. 17, 1985 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,191 Patentee: Stemmle Issued: Aug. 18, 1987 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,171 Patentee: Kramer et al. Issued: May 15, 1990 PA1 GB-2,173,483A Inventor: Stemmle Published: Oct. 15, 1986 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,478 Patentee: Reschenhofer et al. Issued: Feb. 5, 1985 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,211 Patentee: Sonobe Issued:Aug. 12, 1986 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,158 Patentee: May et al. Issued: Oct. 31, 1989 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,485 Patentee: Kamiya et al. Issued: Jun. 11, 1985 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,581 Patentee: Johnson et al. Issued: Jan. 16, 1979 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,074 Patentee: Mandel et al. Issued: Mar. 24, 1992 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,215 Patentee: Ohata et al. Issued: Jun. 8, 1993
The relevant portions of the foregoing disclosures may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,529 discloses a finishing station for a reproducing machine including a generally vertical array of bins. Each of the bins is pivotally mounted on an elevator screw to provide bidirectional sorting of the copy sheets fed into the bins. A bin pivot motor drives a cam to a cam follower to pivot a bin through an arc to a stapling station. In the finishing operation, each of the bins is sequentially pivoted to the stapler station. A gripper mechanism is utilized to unload the stapled set into collecting bins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,860 discloses a sorting apparatus which has a nest of a plurality of sheet receiving bins supported on a sorting support frame. Each bin has a sheet output end and a sheet input end. The plurality of bins are pivotally mounted at their output end about the same pivot point on the support frame such that the output end of each bin is at a level higher than its input end. A rotary shifting member sequentially pivots the bins about their pivoting mount to index the bins past the fixed feed throat for sheet insertion. As the bins are indexed past the fixed feed throat the rotary shifting member widely spaces adjacent bins to provide sheet entry for successive bins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,191 discloses a sheet sorter of the nesting bin type. Translatable bins are driven so that there is an additional space between the bin immediately on top of a sheet entry location in any superposed bin, thereby providing access to a corner of a set of sheets registered in that bin. A stapler is reciprocal between a remote position permitting free indexing of the bins and an inner position in which it can be operated to staple the respective set of sheets together.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,171 discloses a sorter for sorting sheets fed from a sequential source of sheets. The sorter comprises a closely vertical spaced array of sorted bins. Also disclosed is an apparatus to vertically move the array of sorter bins relative to the source of sheets for sequentially loading individual sheets into the individual sorter bins. The system partially horizontally displaces the sorter bins to move one displaced bin at a time into the stapler for stapling the sheets sorted in that bin without removal therefrom. The partially horizontal displacement of the sorter bins is achieved by utilizing individual pins connected with respective individual sorter bins in a substantially vertically aligned array and an open jaw actuating system through which the array of pins is movable. The open jaw is adapted to engage and horizontally move a selected pin therein. An alternative cam track system with horizontal displacement transition therein is also disclosed for this function.
GB-2,173,483A discloses a sorter/stapler utilizing a tamper having a clamping mechanism for moving a set of sheets to a stapler and returning the stapled set to the bin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,478 discloses an apparatus including a housing to be positioned adjacent a copy machine to receive copies from the machine. The apparatus squares the copies, staples them together and finally stacks them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,211 discloses a sheet processing device adapted to be mounted to the sheet output portion of an image-forming apparatus. The device receives output sheets, automatically aligns them to one another, and then binds them in a bundle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,158 discloses a finishing apparatus for binding copy sheets received in succession at a sheet compilation station. The compilation station is defined by a movable, horizontally arranged plate upon which sheets are collected, as well as stapling heads for two or more stapling apparatus. When the last sheet of a set to be stapled is collected, the place is quickly retracted from the set in timed sequence with the clamping of the stapling heads. Subsequently, the set is dropped onto a vertically movable tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,074 discloses a finishing apparatus for binding copy sheets received in succession on a movable compiling tray. The apparatus further includes a stapler into which copy sets are delivered and retracted for binding the compiling tray ultimately delivers the bond copy sets to stacking trays.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,215 discloses a sorter incorporating a stapler for sorting and stapling sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus. This sorter includes a plurality of vertically movable bins for storing the supplied sheets, a bin drive unit for conveying the bins, a pair of lateral guides, and a lateral guide drive unit for moving the lateral guides. The lateral guides are movable in the direction of the sheets in the bins and abut on both sides of stacks of the sheets to arrange them into widthwise adjustment, and then move them into stapling position of the stapler.